Submitted article

Second grade students and teachers in the Galion Primary School, in cooperation with The Ohio State University Field Placement students and Galion M.O.M.S. group, are showing their support for community members serving in the military through the “Support Galion Troops” program. The district-wide drive to collect care package items began with a kickoff assembly at the Primary School Oct. 30, and concludes Nov. 25.

The Galion M.O.M.S. (Mothers of Servicemen/women) group was founded six years ago by two Galion mothers whose sons were deployed. What started with one lunch and two women has grown to ten regular members, monthly dinner meetings every second Tuesday of the month and a meeting the fourth Monday of every month to pack out boxes.

“Our group is supplying the names of local servicemen and women for the drive’s care packages,” Galion M.O.M.S. representative Theresa Benedict said. “We partnered with the schools for this program because we want children to have a positive impression of our military, and we wanted to help the students take a hands-on approach to helping.”

The “Support Galion Troops” program works to collect care package items to send to servicemen and women from the Galion area or that have ties to Galion. Collection boxes will be located in each grade-level hallway at the Primary School and at each of the schools on the Galion City Schools campus for students to place their donations.

“I am so pleased to work with the Galion M.O.M.S. group and our Ohio State University Field Placement students, and appreciate their willingness to coordinate a community service project of this scale,” Primary School Principal Cindy Voss said. “Our students and teachers are very caring individuals, and this is an opportunity for them to show their thanks to those individuals from Galion who serve our country and protect our freedoms.”

Donating items is not mandatory for district students, but the Primary School would like to show the district’s high level of respect and gratitude to our troops. Items being collected during the drive include:

  • Band-aids
  • Batteries (AA or AAA)
  • Body wash
  • Hard candy
  • Chapstick
  • Chewing gum
  • Dried fruit
  • Dental floss
  • Drink mix
  • Eye wash (Visine)
  • Foot/body powder
  • Gloves
  • Hot chocolate
  • Washcloths
  • Socks
  • Pens and envelopes
  • Q-tips
  • Sunblock
  • Magazines
  • Sunflower seeds

“I speak for the entire district administration and Board of Education when I say that I am extremely proud of the selflessness and generosity being displayed by our second grade students, teachers and OSU Field Placement students,” Superintendent Mark Stefanik said. “I invite every member of the Galion City Schools family, and the entire Galion community, to join me in supporting this fantastic program to show our heroes that we ‘Support Galion Troops’.”

For additional information about how you can help “Support Galion Troops” through this Galion City Schools district-wide program, please contact Cindy Voss at 419-468-4010 or email voss.cindy@galionschools.org.